AI-Generated Pesticide Advice Destroys 150 Acres of Sesame in Anhui
A 67-year-old farmer in Anhui, China used pesticide recommendations from a domestic AI system and lost 150 acres of sesame crops when they died overnight. The AI had recommended a combination of herbicides including one unsuitable for sesame cultivation, which the farmer applied without noticing a disclaimer about potential errors.
What happened
On July 10, 2026, Wu Dabo, a 67-year-old farmer in Chuzhou, Anhui, asked an AI system for weeding and pest control methods for his sesame field and requested a drone-spraying approach. The AI generated a 'comprehensive drone-spraying plan for 100-acre sesame field for weeding and pest control' recommending two herbicides: 'high-efficiency fluazifop-P-butyl' and 'fluorosulfuron,' and two insecticides: 'thiamethoxam water-dispersible granules' and 'emamectin benzoate.'
The day after spraying, both the grass and sesame seedlings died, with the seedlings dying faster than the weeds. Wu later questioned the AI, which acknowledged that fluorosulfuron in the recommended formula was the cause of the sesame death. Fluorosulfuron is a broadleaf herbicide designed specifically for soybean fields and cannot be sprayed in sesame fields, particularly not across the entire field, as it will kill the crops.
Reported impact
150 acres of sesame seedlings were completely destroyed overnight, resulting in a potentially total crop loss. Wu characterized the damage as severe and irreversible.
Index analysis
Wu stated he had come into contact with the AI software over a year prior and initially questioned its answers, but found them reliable over time and eventually depended on it for all farming decisions including when to apply pesticides and fertilizer. The AI's output contained a disclaimer in small text stating 'AI-generated content may contain errors, verify carefully,' which Wu said he never noticed. When asked why the AI did not provide explicit warnings about proper application methods, Wu stated that even a simple caution such as 'you must be careful during the operation' would have prevented the outcome.
Governance controls
The AI system's customer service team stated that the AI has no proprietary knowledge base and compiles information from publicly available online sources. They indicated they would investigate which platform or information source led to the error and would log Wu's report of the loss. No resolution or compensation had been provided as of the reporting deadline.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.